Bugatti revisits racing car royalty with Baby II tribute roadster

To celebrate its 110th anniversary, Bugatti is revisiting a racing car icon. As a collaboration between Bugatti and Junior Classics, the Bugatti Baby II is an electric 3/4-scale tribute to the Type 35 and the original Bugatti Baby model it spawned. Like the original Baby, only 500 of the new Baby II will be made.

In 1926, Ettore Bugatti made a half-scale Type 35 roadster for his son Roland's fourth birthday. The Baby Bugatti was all-electric and included a leather seat and wrapped aluminum dashboard, just like the full-sized Type 35. It was so popular with the public that a Bugatti Baby went into production the following year, with 500 made.

Fast forward to 2019 and Bugatti has announced the new-generation Bugatti Baby II. Like the original, only 500 models will be made, but they will be a bit larger and suitable for both children and adults to drive. As such, the vehicle will have two drive modes, but will remain fully electric like the original.

The Bugatti Baby II uses lithium-ion batteries that are removable so they can be swapped or charged separately from the car. The Baby II can speed at up to 45 km/h (28 mph) in "adult" mode and up to 20 km/h (12.4 mph) in "child" mode. The speed limiter can be entirely disengaged to provide a full 10 kW of power potential to the motor through a Speed Key upgrade.

Like the original, the Bugatti Baby II is styled after the iconic Type 35 roadster, but this time takes advantage of modern 3D printing technology and is modeled from a precision scan of the original. A leather seat, four-spoke steering wheel, turned aluminum dashboard, and custom Bugatti instrumentation are also built into the Baby II. French Racing Blue will be the default color for the little car, but a myriad of other color options are also available. Headlights are also available.

Other features of the Baby II include a solid silver Macaron badge on the nose, a limited-edition numbered plaque denoting the Bugatti Baby II's production number, and a badge commemorating Bugatti's 110th anniversary.

Pricing for the Bugatti Baby II starts at €30,000 (US$33,734) plus tax and delivery fees. The car is on show at the Geneva Motor Show and deliveries will begin in the third quarter of 2019.

In 1926, Ettore Bugatti made a half-scale Type 35 roadster for his son Roland’s fourth birthday(Credit: Bugatti)

The Bugatti Baby II uses lithium-ion batteries and an electric motor. The batteries are removable so they can be swapped or charged separately from the car(Credit: Bugatti)

The Baby II can speed at up to 45 km/h (28 mph) in “adult” mode and up to 20 km/h (12.4 mph) in “child” mode(Credit: Bugatti)

The speed limiter can be entirely disengaged to provide a full 10 kW of power potential to the motor through a Speed Key upgrade(Credit: Bugatti)

Other features of the Baby II include a solid silver Macaron badge on the nose, a limited-edition numbered plaque denoting the Bugatti Baby II’s production number, and a badge commemorating Bugatti’s 110th anniversary(Credit: Bugatti)

The Bugatti Baby II is styled after the Type 35 roadster, from a precision scan of the original(Credit: Bugatti)

The original Bugatti Baby (foreground) was a child's toy. The new Bugatti Baby II (background) is larger and suitable for both children and adults(Credit: Bugatti)